I have been using my Apple ID account for over 10 years. I registered it with my Gmail address and my primary phone number. I am still using that Gmail and phone number, and no one has ever accessed my account. Currently, I am logged into my iPhone 15 Pro and Watch Ultra. Suddenly, my phone displayed the message: "The Apple ID is not active." I contacted Apple Support via chat and visited the link iforgot.apple.com , following the instructions. But a few hours later, I received an email from Apple stating: "We’ve reviewed your request, and access to your account ( [email protected] ) has been denied." After that, I tried everything, but my Apple ID account is still unusable. I contacted Apple Support multiple times, but they couldn’t help me. I am truly disappointed and don’t understand what has happened. I called Apple Support many times, and each time the staff gave me the same unclear answer, saying that my Apple ID is permanently deactivated. There is no way to back up all the data on my iPhone to another device because if I do, the deactivated Apple ID will transfer as well. Additionally, all the photos and videos I paid to back up on iCloud are now gone forever. I paid Apple to store my photos, believing that iCloud was safe, and now I've lost everything. I am really disappointed and exhausted. I thought using iCloud was safe, and now this is the result I get. Answer from Ok-Panic-8207 on reddit.com
Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 102640
If your Apple Account is locked, not active, or disabled - Apple Support
When you request access to your locked Apple Account, you might get an alert that says, “This Apple Account is locked and can’t be used” or your request might be denied.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255701760
This account is locked and can't be used … - Apple Community
For me I suspect this was caused by creating a new apple id on an old device, on the latest version of ios available for that device which doesnt support the latest security required by apple - they ought to prevent these types of accounts being created in the first instance rather than allow it and subsequently lock/bricking the devices. ... How can I regain access to my Apple Account that’s been blocked? I registered an account on the Apple website for my relative. He is in retirement and cannot do this on his own.
Videos
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How To Fix Apple Account Is Locked And Cannot Be Used (2025) - YouTube
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/applehelp › apple id locked and can't be used?
r/applehelp on Reddit: Apple ID locked and can't be used?
July 11, 2024 -
I'm trying to get into my very old apple account from years ago. I believe it was one of my first accounts but I couldn't remember the password so I went to forgot password, put in the email and it said the account is locked and can't be used. And the account uses an iCloud email. I don't know what to do. Is there any way to get into the account or am I screwed?
Top answer 1 of 90
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I have been using my Apple ID account for over 10 years. I registered it with my Gmail address and my primary phone number. I am still using that Gmail and phone number, and no one has ever accessed my account. Currently, I am logged into my iPhone 15 Pro and Watch Ultra. Suddenly, my phone displayed the message: "The Apple ID is not active." I contacted Apple Support via chat and visited the link iforgot.apple.com , following the instructions. But a few hours later, I received an email from Apple stating: "We’ve reviewed your request, and access to your account ( [email protected] ) has been denied." After that, I tried everything, but my Apple ID account is still unusable. I contacted Apple Support multiple times, but they couldn’t help me. I am truly disappointed and don’t understand what has happened. I called Apple Support many times, and each time the staff gave me the same unclear answer, saying that my Apple ID is permanently deactivated. There is no way to back up all the data on my iPhone to another device because if I do, the deactivated Apple ID will transfer as well. Additionally, all the photos and videos I paid to back up on iCloud are now gone forever. I paid Apple to store my photos, believing that iCloud was safe, and now I've lost everything. I am really disappointed and exhausted. I thought using iCloud was safe, and now this is the result I get.
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Same thing. Moreover, my iPhone is still logged into this deactivated account and it doesn't allow me to log out. Therefore, it's essentially bricked by Apple for no reason and they are refusing to do anything about it.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255801278
apple ID locked and cant be used - Apple Community
● If a message says "your account has been disabled in the App Store and iTunes Store" or "You cannot login because your account has been locked", you might be able to request reactivation by tapping Continue right from the alert. If that does not work, Apple provides a link for this specific ...
Quora
quora.com › My-Apple-ID-says-this-account-has-been-locked-and-can-t-be-used-anytime-I-try-to-reset-password-or-login-What-do-I-do-to-unlock-my-account
My Apple ID says this account has been locked and can’t be used anytime I try to reset password or login. What do I do to unlock my account? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): Have you tried to reset your Apple ID password in your iPhone Settings? If you haven’t, simply follow the steps below to have a try. 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap your name, choose Sign-In & Security and select Change Password. 3. Enter your iPhone passcode and set a new Apple ID pas...
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255073434
How can I unlock my Apple ID when I don't… - Apple Community
The support article If your Apple ... and iTunes Store" or "You cannot login because your account has been locked", you might be able to request reactivation by tapping Continue right from the alert....
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255935994
Account locked and cannot be used - Apple Community
Unfortunately that means Apple determined you broke a term or condition of use so you won’t be about to use that account again. You’ll need to submit proof of ownership and request Apple remove the account for you. See Start an Activation Lock support request at https://al-support.appl...
Apple
support.apple.com › en-al › guide › iphone › iph5acc5b28c › ios
Use security keys to sign in to your Apple Account on iPhone - Apple Support (AL)
You can use your security key to unlock it. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap your name, then tap Sign-In & Security. Tap Unlock Account, then follow the onscreen instructions to unlock your Apple Account. If you think your account might have been locked because someone else knows ...
iMobie
imobie.com › home › iphone unlocker › how to unlock apple id that’s locked for security reasons [solved]
How to Fix Apple ID Locked for Security Reasons 2025
March 25, 2025 - To begin with, open iforgot.apple.com. Enter your Apple ID that’s locked due to security reasons and then press “Continue”. After then, you need to go through a few security questions and they’re part of your verification process.
AppGeeker
appgeeker.com › apple-id › apple-id-locked-for-security-reasons.html
How to unlock Apple ID locked for security reasons - 5 ways
The most straightforward way to reset your password when Apple ID locked is with your iPhone or another trusted device you have access to — it can be an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. ... 3. Enter the login passcode set up on the device. If you are signed into iCloud and have passcode enabled, you ...
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255726205
This account is locked and cannot be used. - Apple Community
The support article If your Apple ID is locked, not active, or disabled - Apple Support has solutions for three frequently encountered reasons for an account to be disabled/locked/not-active. It is also possible that Apple has permanently locked the account and it cannot be recovered.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 252165884
Apple ID keeps getting locked - Apple Community
I've been too lazy to try this yet, but here is a way to determine what's going on. You need to change your Apple ID to an email address · that you know doesn't exist anywhere else in the universe. If the problem is from item #2, then this will eliminate it since whoever is hacking the system ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/macos › why does my apple id keep getting locked?
r/MacOS on Reddit: Why does my Apple ID keep getting locked?
May 10, 2024 -
Machine: Macbook 2016 Phone: Note 20 Ultra, Note 8 Services: Primarily gmail accounts, google and samsung for cloud backup.
SHORT VERSION: My apple ID keeps getting locked when I hardly ever mess with it. Im an average computer user who doesn't do much outside of social media, youtube, reddit, quora, pornhub and occassional basic video/image/audio editing. Anyone have thoughts on likely culprits?
LONG VERSION: Why do you suppose this keeps happening seemingly on it's own? I used to think it perhaps had something to do with the rare occasions I used NordVPN because eventually it occured to me thats what kept getting me blocked out of the Mail app. But I havent used a vpn in a long while, like not since 2023. And I don't find myself at an apple ID login screen very much either. If I do it's usually because im trying to download something in the app store, or Dropbox (which I don't really use) is doing that thing where it randomly alerts me that I can't use it until I login with my Apple ID.
It's always months inbetween attempts, but whenever I end up needing to (certain the login info is correct), it tells me my "Apple ID has been locked for security reasons". When I go through the annoying procedure of unlocking it, it always takes some ridiculous extra steps because it never accepts my security answers. As if I forgot my first dog........yea right. As I am not especially cybersecurity literate, i am not sure whether this reads like a hacker threat or just a security wire I somehow keep tripping.
In summary, I am running out of oomph for this and im developing the habit of just saying "screw it" to any mundane problem that takes more than 60 seconds to fix. It's not even a laziness thing, it's simply becoming a "do i even care that much?" thing. I know these companies are trying to make our information more safe and secure but holy sheep sheet, it's just getting more and more annoying to deal with and making it easier and easier to leave it for other things. Is it just me?
Top answer 1 of 12
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You have a Mac so you could Enable 2factor authentication in the system prefs/settings. Accounts with security questions are old and more vulnerable. Locking of accounts occurs if the password has been entered incorrectly too many times in a short period of time. One possibility is if someone knows the email address for your account then keeps going to any Apple login page and enters the password wrong to lock you out. So if, possible change the email address for your account and see how that goes.
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I know this post is old, but it came up in a search, so in case you or anyone is still looking for an answer, I've found that it's probably a credential stuffing attack. That's likely if your Apple ID/Account name is your main e-mail address, that you've also used to sign up for other services. As long as you haven't re-used your Apple Account password for other services, it's harmless, but annoying. The only way to fix it is to change to a different primary e-mail address for your Apple Account. What happens is that some web site or app you signed up for in the past got hacked at some point, and your e-mail address plus the password you used got stolen and passed around the web in a list. There have been several such breaches of large services like Dropbox, etc., or it could be some obscure shopping site or forum you used once. Hackers get these lists, and use robots to try to sign into other sites using them, hoping that you used the same password for your Apple Account, or PayPal, etc. That's why you must never use the same password for more than one website or service. Once your address gets on one of these lists, you'll never get it off, and you'll always have some fool somewhere trying to log into your accounts with the wrong password, over and over. You can check here whether your e-mail address has been found in any of the known lists, though it won't tell you what password was used: Have I Been Pwned: Check if your email has been compromised in a data breach If you're on there, don't worry - just make sure you're not still using any old passwords, and that you have a different one for every website and app. If you're not really sure, maybe you want to change all your passwords. Probably a password manager is useful for that. What's not useful for this problem is enabling two-factor authentication, as many people suggest. Multiple failed login attempts will still cause your Apple Account to be locked, even with 2FA on. You need to change the primary address, i.e. what you log in with, to something else that's not on one of the lists. What I've done is change my Apple Account primary address from [email protected] to [email protected] . Then I added back [email protected] as a secondary address, so that people can still contact me on FaceTime and Messages, and also set it to be the outgoing caller ID. I had to do that in the apps and settings on my Mac and my iPhone. [edit: I can confirm that doing this has solved the problem for me, and not created any new ones. The locked account every few days has ended, and hasn't happened once in the month since I changed the address. People can still contact me on Messages and FaceTime using my normal address.] Many e-mail services, like Google's, allow you to make extra addresses with this "plus addressing". Mail sent there will go to your main address. It might be tagged with "apple", or put in a folder called "apple", so watch out for that. Other e-mail services let you set up mail forwarder addresses, so you could use one of those, or even set up a different e-mail account somewhere, just to use for your Apple Account.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/applehelp › apple id is “locked and cannot be used”. is it possible to reset the phone?
r/applehelp on Reddit: Apple ID is “locked and cannot be used”. Is it possible to reset the phone?
December 17, 2024 -
Hi! I have an old iPhone 4 that is connected to an Apple ID that has been permanently deactivated by Apple, making it non-recoverable. Although I would love to see all the old photos on it, I am ok with just wiping the phone completely so that I can still use it. I would just link it to my current Apple ID. Is this possible? Anyone know how to do it without going into settings?
Top answer 1 of 5
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Not my personal experience but since nobody replied yet: I often read you can go to Apple with proof of purchase and they will reset it. If you don’t have that, based on past posts you got yourself an iPhone shaped paperweight.
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You cannot change the Apple Account that phone is currently associated with while the account is locked. You would need to erase the phone using a computer, and then before you try setting it up again, you would submit a copy of the proof of purchase to Apple . If you try setting it up again before you do this step, you will end up having to erase the phone again.
Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 118574
How to use account recovery when you can’t reset your Apple Account password - Apple Support
If you don’t receive the text or call, once the period specified in the original email is over, you can still go directly to iforgot.apple.com. Follow the instructions to regain access to your Apple Account. No. Contacting Apple Support can’t help you shorten this time. Check the email with the date and time when you can expect to regain access. This email arrives within 72 hours. You can also see how long it will be until your account is ready for recovery, or when more information will be available.
Macworld
macworld.com › home › apple › how-to
How To Unlock An Apple ID That's Locked Or Disabled | Macworld
January 5, 2023 - On the iPhone you’ll see “Use this phone to reset password” – click on Allow. If you are using an iPhone you will need to confirm your trusted phone number (which may or may not be the one associated with that device). Once you have done this you will see the message that you have to continue on one of your other Apple devices – as long as you have one available tap on Done. If not, tap on Cannot access Apple devices and you’ll be asked for a passcode that’s used for another device.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255905074
my apple account is locked and cannot be used
Check the requirements and steps at: Activation Lock support request - https://al-support.apple.com/#/additional-support Apple says, "Proof of ownership documentation is required," but does not detail what currently constitutes proof other than it “must include the product serial number, IMEI or MEID.” Apple may typically require the original receipt* issued by Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller. If Apple resets the device this will give you access to the device but won't restore access to the account used to lock it. There is nothing that can be done to expedite an Activation Lock request.
Dr.Buho
drbuho.com › how-to › apple-id-locked
4 Fixes for "Apple ID Locked for Security Reasons" 2025
February 17, 2025 - Whatever the reason for your Apple ID being locked, luckily, it can be fixed. Here are 4 ways you can try. The fastest and easiest way to regain full access to your iPhone is to change your Apple ID password.
MacRumors
macrumors.com › how-to › access-locked-or-disabled-apple-id
How to Regain Access to a Locked or Disabled Apple ID - MacRumors
If your Apple ID is locked or disabled, you won't be able to sign in to any Apple services. Keep reading to learn how you can regain access. If...
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255291750
My Apple ID keeps getting locked - Apple Community
If you Apple ID is out there where others are attempting to guess the password and locks you out of your account, then create a new email address and change your Apple ID to this new email address. You can continue to use your previous email address, it just will no longer be your Apple ID.